


I'll Be Your Home

by wemaketheworldgo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Dorms, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I'm really just making this up as I go along, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, Slow Burn, like super slow burn, my life isnt figured out rn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-03 11:54:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16325732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wemaketheworldgo/pseuds/wemaketheworldgo
Summary: Mark is the guy everyone knows, and Donghyuck is the boy nobody knows anything about. They've got more in common than they thought, more than anyone else knows.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> henlo this is my first fic on ao3 please be nice!! markhyuck is one of my fave pairs because their dynamic is so unique. please enjoy!

Mark believes he knows everyone in his college dormitory. He’s stayed here for three years and has been active in organizing all its activities--from parties to volunteer drives, decorating hallways on holidays, he’s known everywhere. When he walks into the dormitory common lounge and knows thirty different people by name and major, he feels like he’s home.

So it comes as a surprise to him one day when, during the dorm’s monthly movie night, he spots an unfamiliar face perched on the arm of one of the ratty couches in front of the only television in the dorm. With golden skin and fiery red hair sticking out like a sore thumb, Mark wonders why he’s never seen him before; he definitely would’ve remembered seeing that hair before.

The red-haired boy has his hands buried in the front pocket of his oversized hoodie and slouches heavily, as if trying to look smaller. Or maybe he’s just leaning lower to listen to the person seated on the couch next to him--a soft-spoken boy who Mark sees around in parties; if Mark recalls correctly his name is Jeno, a year below him, majoring in Biology, his room is on the 3rd floor, just below Mark’s.

Mark doesn’t realize he’s been staring at the pair whispering to each other until he feels a hand on his shoulder and nearly jumps. “Mark, shouldn’t you be setting up the movie?” He turns to find Taeyong, his floor RA, holding two packs of microwaveable popcorn. He hoped Taeyong didn’t get butter on his shirt shoulder. “Sorry, got distracted. I’ll plug in the HDMI and connect it to your laptop.”

Mark goes around the couches to the smart TV, pulling out cables from behind the screen mounted on the wall. Taeyong’s laptop, placed on the coffee table pushed against the wall below the TV, is on standby, and Mark clumsily juggles the cables, trying to figure out which one is compatible with the laptop.

“I can’t believe you dragged me down here, Jeno,” Mark hears someone whisper from behind him. He glances over his shoulder to see red-haired boy staring emptily in his direction, observing him fumble with the wires with no apparent interest. “I told you, you need to get out of the room more. Talk to people. Make friends.” Mark sees Jeno reply to the boy, no attempt made to whisper, and Jeno sees Mark and gives him a wave. Mark and the boy make eye contact then, and it flusters Mark so much that he drops all the cables on the ground. Embarrassed, he quickly turns around and hurriedly picks up a random cable. He sighs in relief when he attempts to fit it to the port in the laptop and it turns out to be correct.

“Jeez, Jeno, you make me sound like a hermit.”

“You kinda are.” A loud smack, “OW! What was that for, Donghyuck?”

_ So that’s his name,  _ Mark notes.

“I only agreed to come down because you told me it was Studio Ghibli night and you know I love Howl.”

Jeno sighs, “how about I introduce you to some of my friends? Come on,” Mark turns to watch Jeno physically drag Donghyuck off the couch and over to the refreshments table as the red-haired boy rolls his eyes.

Jeno greets two boys Mark knows very well--Jaemin, Mark’s own roommate, and Renjun, Mark’s best friend. So once the laptop is set up, Mark thinks it’s only natural that he join them.

“Hey guys,” Mark says as he walks over to stand between Jaemin and Renjun.

“Mark! Just the guy we’re looking for,” Jaemin exclaims in his sing-song voice, “Hyuck here is a new addition to the dorm!” Donghyuck extends a friendly hand and Mark shakes it awkwardly, his earlier fumble still fresh in his mind.

“Mark here is the guy you can go to for anything. Like, anything. He’s the dorm angel,” Jaemin says as he places a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “More like the dorm maid,” Renjun mumbles, “they overwork you here, you know that?” The rest of them share a laugh at that.

Over the course of the conversation, Mark learns that Donghyuck moved in at the start of the semester--the middle of the year really--and knows no one in the dorm aside from his roommate Jeno and their floor RA, Johnny. Donghyuck is definitely not unfriendly, in fact he seems highly social with his warm smiles and genuine laughter, and ability to carry the conversation, even after Jeno’s jokes which are notorious for being… well, not funny.

There’s something about him Mark can’t read--why he seems to be so good at socializing yet claims to rarely leave the room, why he transferred in the middle of the year, why there are times his smile doesn’t seem to reach his eyes. But these are questions Mark doesn’t ask, because they’ve only just met. 

Just then, Taeyong calls them over, popcorn freshly popped and movie ready to go. The five of them head over to occupy the couch Jeno and Donghyuck had previously left. Jaemin, Renjun, and Jeno immediately plop down and occupy all but one seat of the 4-person couch; Mark offers the last space to Hyuck, choosing instead to settle on the couch arm on the opposite end, beside Renjun. The familiar opening scene of Spirited Away appears on the TV screen. No doubt he’ll have to sit through Renjun and Jaemin making unnecessary commentary for the entirety of the movie despite having already seen it multiple times. A senior, Jaehyun, turns off the lights before sitting down on another couch beside a few other seniors. A handful of other residents Mark recognizes are scattered on the floor on cushions or mats, chips and popcorn bowls in hand. The atmosphere is familiar and homely, an escape from the usual college stress, and Mark wants to keep it this way every day.

The movie’s only 10 minutes in when Mark finds himself zoning out, not even listening to the movie and instead staring thoughtlessly as colors and shapes flashed on the screen. He knows the plot, anyway, so he lets his mind wander.

Unconsciously, Mark finds his gaze wandering to Donghyuck. In the dark of the room, the light from the TV hit his profile quite sharply, highlighting the tips of his red hair, the soft curve of his cheeks, the bridge of his nose. Donghyuck is gazing at the screen so intently, his features animated as he watches the onscreen lead stumble on the stairs into the bathhouse. Mark thinks he’s more interesting to watch than the movie, but realizes that he’s been staring too long and it can get weird and quickly glances in a different direction. Just then, he accidentally locks eyes with Taeyong, who  _ definitely _ saw that. He sends him a knowing smirk.  _ Oh boy,  _ Mark thought,  _ I’m gonna get a talk from him later. _ Still, it doesn’t stop Mark from stealing glances once in a while. He just glances at everyone else, too, to make it less obvious.

The movie ends and everyone gets up to stretch their legs. People are getting really hungry, so Johnny orders pizzas. Taeyong queues up Howl’s Moving castle next and gives everyone a fifteen minute break. Jaemin has somehow gotten hold of a blanket from his room--Mark’s blanket, actually--and is snuggled up to an unwilling Jeno while Renjun snickers at how Jeno is trying to look as stoic as possible. Renjun will probably take photos and send them to Mark later for blackmail material, although Mark doubts Jaemin would dislike the photos anyway. Mark and Renjun move to stand up to refill their drinks, and Donghyuck asks to join them, ignoring Jeno’s silent pleas and panicked eyes.

Renjun and Mark are just about to get into discussing their Philosophy papers when a large, long arm throws itself around Renjun’s neck, knocking him out of breath. The large, long arm is accompanied by a large, long person called Lucas, Mark’s very loud but sweet next door neighbor and unfortunately a lovesick puppy whose adorable crush on Renjun is obvious to everyone.

“Yukhei, can you  _ please _ not attack me with your overgrown manchild body?”

“I’m not overgrown, you’re just fun-sized,” Lucas guffaws, not at all fazed. “Hey Mark, mind if I borrow your best friend?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Renjun scoffs, “Hey, don’t I get a say in this? I say no!”

“Nope, you’re coming with me!” Lucas spins Renjun around, presumably to drag him to their group of Chinese friends. Mark knows Renjun doesn’t actually mind Lucas, not really. They hang out on a regular basis, they texted frequently, and Renjun wasn’t oblivious to Lucas’s feelings. He wonders if they’ll ever actually sort out whatever was going on between them.

“So are they like, a thing?”

Mark almost forgot Donghyuck was with him. He had watched the entire thing go down with mild amusement, filling his cup with water in the process. Mark can only laugh and shake his head, answering with a “who knows?”

Mark looks up now, really looks at Donghyuck for the first time. Dark hazel eyes, two moles on his cheek and one on his ear. The only word on his mind is: cute. His neck feels warm and he decides he needs another cup of soda to cool down. He fills in the awkward silence with small talk about Donghyuck’s major (Music--coincidentally, the same as Mark) and Jaemin’s propensity to sleeptalk. Before they know it, their fifteen minutes are up, and they head back to the couch, drinks in hand.

  
  


;;;

  
  


Mark is a workaholic. He’s well aware of the fact that he spends a considerable amount of time juggling academics, volunteer work, and his social life and not nearly enough time resting. Any time left over is spent in the college music lab, in a dingy studio with a 6-year-old PC recording songs he’s not sure will ever see the light of day. Headphones on, he blocks out the rest of the world for hours on end, occasionally interrupted by Renjun barging into the studio with dinner because Mark forgot to eat.

“I swear to God, Mark Lee,” Renjun nags today, hand pulling through his hair in frustration, “if you’re going to rot to dust in here, can you at least text me back once in a while? It’s been six hours.” Mark checks his phone then, suddenly aware it’s 7PM and he forgot to eat lunch. But Renjun doesn’t have any plastic take-out bags today; he just came from an exam. “I’m getting you out of here. Out!!!” Against Mark’s protests, Renjun shuts down the computer (after saving Mark’s work, of course) and pushes him out the door, grumbling about a “nice dinner out for once”.

“Where are we going, Injun?” The pair exit the university gates into the local business district, filled with small, cheap restaurants currently populated with college students. The end of fall was approaching now, as was midterm season. That left students staying on campus or in any warm place they could find until the wee hours of the night, and the places were packed.

Renjun explains, “Jaemin wanted to eat dinner out today to make sure you actually  _ ate _ something,” he looks exasperatingly at Mark. “He invited Jeno along, too, who dragged Donghyuck. So we’re hanging with them again.” Mark’s cheeks felt warm and he felt his breath catch.  _ It’s probably from the cold. I should wear a scarf. _

Renjun leads them to a chicken restaurant that he, Jaemin, and Mark frequent. They go inside to find that Jaemin, Jeno and Donghyuck are already seated and ordered ahead. As soon as Jaemin spots them he waves enthusiastically, and when Mark is within arm’s reach he smothers him immediately in a tight hug. “Markieeee, my one and only roomie,” he whines, “I thought you were dead or passed out in that studio of yours!! I got you your usual so you’ve got to finish everything, understood?” Mark groans but he knows that Jaemin knows he hasn’t had lunch, so he just asks, “okay Jaem, can you please let go now?” Jaemin, satisfied, releases the hug and flashes a grin before taking his seat beside Jeno.

Mark takes the empty chair in front of Jaemin beside Donghyuck, giving him a friendly smile. “So what’s this studio Jaemin and Renjun talk about?” Donghyuck asks.

“Oh, you don’t know? It’s in the Arts building, a recording studio free for use for Music majors.” Donghyuck shakes his head, “I had no idea. I haven’t needed to use one yet for any assignments.” “I’ll show you around then, since I practically live there. Maybe it’ll come in handy,” Mark offers, relaxing as he gets into his favorite topic, which was music production. “They have great equipment over there. The school computer is kinda slow, so I do use my own laptop when I produce music--”

“You produce music?” Donghyuck pipes up. He looks surprised, eyes now wide and glinting with interest. Figures, since he is a music major.

Mark nods. “Can I hear it?” “Oh--no, I don’t really let people hear it until it’s… finished.” Mark feels the awkwardness creep back, shy at the prospect of having to show someone his work. He starts fidgeting with his jacked under the table, and Donghyuck notices and decides to drop the request.

“Well, what kind of equipment do they have there?”

Mark brightens again, “well in the main recording studio, the big one with the soundproof booth, they have this cool soundboard, the professional kind. I hang out a lot in one of the smaller rooms, with a computer and mixing board, keyboard, and mics. They have really good mics tho, like one of them is-- wait, sorry, I’m rambling. You don’t want to know all of that.” Mark looks down into his lap again, embarrassed of himself. He always got ahead of himself when it came to these things and once he got started, it was hard to stop.

But Donghyuck only laughs. “I do. I want to know all of that.”

Mark looks up and smiles.

The rest of the dinner is spent watching Jaemin openly flirt with Jeno, who takes it like a champ, and Mark almost feels sorry for the guy. Almost, because he also enjoys watching Jeno squirm. Renjun rants about his exam, which he spent the entire night studying for only to find out he had studied the wrong chapter. Donghyuck recounts how his poor classmate got kicked out of class for falling asleep, although he was probably also drunk so it was well-deserved.

Time passes quickly, and before they realize it, it’s 10PM. They have to head back to finish the mountains of homework due within the week. Before they get to the dorm, Mark and Jaemin grab a coffee to get ready for a long night ahead.

“Why don’t we all study together?” Jeno suggests once they get back to the dorm, “like in the common area or in someone’s bedroom.”

“That sounds like a horrible idea, Jeno. Putting Jaemin and Hyuck in an enclosed space together past midnight? It’ll be chaos,” Renjun shakes his head. “Hey! I resent that.” Jaemin shoots Renjun a pout, slinging his arm around his now-proclaimed new best friend, Donghyuck. Donghyuck only moves to do the same with Jaemin, sporting a sly smile and declaring, “I think it’s a great idea. I’m a joy to be around! And I can keep you awake with my incredible presence.”

“Great! So it’s settled,” Jaemin grins. “Our room it is! That way we can stay as long as we want without bothering anyone else.”

“Wait I didn’t agree to this?” Mark exclaims, “It’s my room, too, FYI?”

“Thanks Mark, buddy! We’ll head over there once we grab our stuff. Let’s go, Jeno,” Donghyuck makes for the stairs, and Jeno can only shrug a half-meant apology in Mark’s direction before following.

Mark lets out an exasperated sigh, and Renjun takes that as his cue to leave. “Welp, I’m out. You know I study best alone.” “You say that now, but I know you’re going to end up going into Lucas’s bedroom later.” Renjun blushes beet red at Mark’s comment and instead chooses to walk away with a string of profanities in his wake.

“Let’s go, Markie, we gotta get our room ready for guests!” Jaemin enthusiastically drags Mark to the stairs. It’s going to be a loooong night.

It’s only five minutes later when Mark hears a knock on the door and races across the room to open it, expecting a mop of red hair. Instead, he’s greeted by Taeyong. “Excited to see me?” he raises an eyebrow at Mark, who visibly deflates. “Sorry, was expecting someone. What’s up, Taeyong?”

“I just wanted to tell you that Winwin guy from the Christmas decors committee talked to me about quitting. He’s not doing so well, grades-wise, so he’s cutting back on extracurriculars. Sorry.” Mark only nods. One less pair of hands wasn’t so bad. “I’ll handle it, Taeyong, thanks.”

Just then, Donghyuck and Jeno appear behind Taeyong, each carrying a stack of notebooks and papers. “Yo Mark. Hey Taeyong.”

“Hey guys, come in and put your stuff down.” Donghyuck and Jeno nod to Taeyong as the pass him to enter the room. Mark finds Taeyong with his arms crossed and with that knowing smirk plastered on his face again.

“Well you seem to be getting along with the new kid very well, Mark.” “I get along with everyone well, Taeyong.” Taeyong just mutters a “hmm,” not quite convinced. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to your quality time. See ya!” Taeyong just turns and leaves with a wink, and Mark can only roll his eyes as he closes the door behind him. Taeyong was really like an older brother, and Mark appreciated having him, but he was way too nosy. He tries not to think about Taeyong’s comment as he settles down on his desk to work.

The night goes just as predicted, with Jaemin and Donghyuck giving up within an hour and playing card games instead. Jeno has made a spot for himself on their bedroom floor, sitting cross-legged and surrounded by notes. Mark plugs in his earphones, not wanting to be bothered while he writes his paper for Music Theory due the next day.

It’s only after midnight when Mark is ten pages in and finally decides to call it a night, not even bothering to proofread. His eyes were dry and his back hurt from being hunched over his computer for so long. He finally turns around to inspect the scene before him: Jeno was gone, papers and all, presumably back to his own room. Jaemin was already sleeping under the blankets with his phone still unlocked in his hand--he must have been scrolling through his phone before bed, as was his habit. Donghyuck had fallen asleep on Mark’s bed, his pen still in his hand with his notebook laid open.

Mark contemplated waking him up. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But Donghyuck looked so comfortable, so peaceful, Mark didn’t have the heart to do it. But then Donghyuck’s face scrunches up, as if he was in pain. His body curls up, and a whine escapes him.  _ Is he having a nightmare?  _

Mark shakes him gently by the shoulder, trying not to scare him. “Hey, Hyuck, wake up--” Donghyuck bolts into an upright sitting position, eyes wide, gasping for air, and for a second he looks at Mark with such  _ terror _ that Mark’s afraid he did something wrong. It only lasts a second, then recognition settles behind his eyes, and fear is replaced by shame. Donghyuck covers his face with his hand, mutters with his voice shaking, “I’m so sorry, you shouldn’t see me like this--” “Hyuck, you’re okay, it was just a bad dream. Everyone has bad dreams.”

Mark reaches up to pull Donghyuck’s hands away from his face but then decides against it, choosing instead to rub his hand down his back in an attempt to soothe the boy. Donghyuck is still breathing heavily, and occasionally his exhales are shaky. Mark thinks he might be crying. He wishes he could help, wants Donghyuck to tell him what the dream was about and why it leaves him in such a bad state. But he didn’t want to push him, not when he was vulnerable like this, not when they didn’t even know each other all that well. All he could do was be here.

When Donghyuck doesn’t stop crying, Mark moves closer and boldly envelops him in a hug. It’s not much, but it’s what he can do right now. Donghyuck melts into Mark’s embrace, and Mark thinks he feels so small and so fragile in his arms. He can feel his chest trembling, and it makes him tighten his hold.

“Shhh, it’s okay, I’m here, it’s just me. You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay,” Mark hopes that his whispers mean something, that they aren’t empty promises, that Donghyuck feels the warmth he is trying to carry in his words.

It seems to work; after Donghyuck’s breathing slows and he stops trembling, he quickly falls asleep against Mark’s chest. Mark lays down on his bed without breaking his hold on him, making sure Donghyuck is in a comfortable position before letting his own exhaustion take over.

When he wakes up in the morning, Donghyuck is gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more Mark gets to know Donghyuck, the less he seems to actually know about him.

Mark isn’t one to pry. He hates imposing, pushing boundaries, or possibly making anyone uncomfortable. He can’t do confrontation, no matter how innocent the intention.

 

That’s why for two days after that night, he doesn’t contact Donghyuck in any way, even though he has his number and social medias, and even though his curiosity leaves him lying awake at night staring at the empty space on his bed in the shape of the smaller boy. He waits for Donghyuck to come to him. When he doesn’t though, he can’t help but be a little disappointed despite the fact that Donghyuck owes him nothing. Sure, they’re very good friends, but he knows nothing deeply personal about Donghyuck. He wishes he did.

 

It’s only for two days, though, because on the third, Mark is with Renjun and Lucas in a cafe across campus talking about aliens when Jaemin and Donghyuck walk in. As soon as Donghyuck makes eye contact with Mark, he freezes on the spot. Mark knows then that as much as he wants an explanation, a backstory, he isn’t going to get one anytime soon. So as casually as he can, he flashes Donghyuck a gentle smile.

 

Jaemin waves at them and skips over, making to join the trio without even asking. Donghyuck follows shortly after, moving his feet hesitantly, his eyes flitting nervously between Mark and the empty chair beside him.

 

Mark pulls out the chair. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” he says and hopes he gets the message across, and that’s all it takes for Donghyuck to take the seat.

 

“So what were you guys talking about?” Jaemin asks as he scans the menu even though he’ll probably order the same bitter, most caffeine-laiden drink Mark’s ever seen like he always does. Mark starts, “we were talking about Renjun’s childhood obsession with aliens.”

 

“It’s not an _obsession,_ ” Renjun argues vehemently, “it’s a _belief._ And I still believe in them. They’re real! We have evidence! Someday, you ALL will see!! Right, Lucas?” Lucas nods obediently and rapidly, although Mark would say he wasn’t the most reliable for an unbiased opinion. Renjun continues, “You know who _actually_ had a weird childhood obsession?”

 

Mark glances at him from across the table. “Don’t you dare, Injun. I swear.”

 

Jaemin leans into the table now, crossing his arms, “oh now, I’m curious! What was the ever-capable Mark Lee like as a kid?”

 

“For starters, he was obsessed with--”

 

“Injun, shut UP--”

 

“Power Rangers.”

 

Mark dropped his head onto the table and groaned. “Yup! Our Markie here loved the Power Rangers so much, especially the Red Ranger. He dressed up as him every day to school in this riduculous suit. I don’t even know if that thing was ever washed.” Renjun scrunched up his nose as the entire table, save for Mark, erupted in laughter. “Dude,” Lucas bellowed in between gasps of air, “that’s HILARIOUS.”

 

“OMG wait, I think I have pictures saved for blackmail purposes,” Renjun picks up his phone, and as soon as Mark hears this he gets up and swiftly grabs the phone from his hands. “No way! You’re the worst best friend ever!”

 

“I wanna see, Maaaaark,” Mark hears a whine from beside him and turns to see Donghyuck’s laugh settle into a smile, and Mark thinks he’s adorable. With his eyes in between mirth and pleading, his two front teeth barely peeking out of his grin, his voice soft and honeylike, Mark suddenly wants nothing more than to hold the smaller boy in his arms like he did that night. And that thought catches Mark off guard.

 

He’s so caught off guard, in fact, that he doesn’t react fast enough when Donghyuck snatches the phone from his hand and starts going through Renjun’s gallery. Renjun leans across the table to help him find said photos, and Mark gives up because he knows he’s no match against those two teamed up.

 

“Found it!” Renjun exclaims, and Jaemin and Lucas get up and clamor around the phone to get a look. Donghyuck zooms in to several photos of Mark at school in a flimsy red power rangers suit trying to copy ridiculous action poses from the TV show. After the four have a good laugh at Mark’s expense and after a promise from Renjun to send copies to both Donghyuck and Jaemin, Mark attempts revenge by digging up Renjun’s old childhood photos, only to have everyone coo and praise how adorable he was.

 

It’s not long before Lucas and Jaemin’s own childhood photos get brought up. While Jaemin’s portray idyllic childhood vacations and bright smiles, Renjun finds Lucas’s middle school Instagram, overly filtered selfies and all, and Mark is relieved that he’s not the only embarrassing one although Lucas takes it all in good stride.

 

“What about you, Hyuck?” Lucas directs the question across the table, and Donghyuck’s smile drops a tiny bit. It’s so imperceptible that Mark is the only one who catches it, the only one who notices his eyes widen, and that’s only because he had been watching him before the question was brought up.

 

“I--uh, don’t have them with me guys. Sorry.”

 

“Aw come on,” Jaemin waves his hand dismissively, “I’m sure they’re on your Facebook somewhere.”

 

Donghyuck just laughs. It sounds forced to Mark’s ears. “Nah, I don’t post them there because I know people will just use them for blackmail. Like you, Renjun.”

 

“Well, you got a point there.” Renjun shrugs. “Still. I bet you were a cute baby.”

 

“The cutest!” Jaemin agrees, reaching over to pinch Donghyuck’s cheeks.

 

“Hmm… you will never know,” Donghyuck just grins and everyone seems to drop it at that once Lucas mentions a remake of one of their favorite childhood cartoons. But Mark can tell that after that, Donghyuck is back to being silent, restless, masking his discomfort with a concerningly believable smile.

 

Mark wants to ask him so many questions; there are so many blanks to fill in with Donghyuck, and he wants to know just how many holes he hasn’t even begun to uncover. How can a boy so bright and outgoing be shrouded in such mystery? But maybe Mark’s overthinking and overreading, and maybe he’s overstepping his boundaries, so he doesn’t ask him anything about it. Not right now, he resolves. Maybe later.

 

;;;;

  


There’s loud rapping at Mark’s door at 2 AM on a Friday night. Mark blinks the sleep away from his eyes and waits for his vision to adjust in the dark, disoriented and annoyed. Jaemin went out earlier for some senior party Jaehyun was hosting, so Mark assumes it’s him, but Jaemin should have the key to open it himself. It’s when Mark’s eyes fully adjust to the night that he sees Jaemin softly asleep on his bed, still in his clothes from earlier in the day.

 

Then who could that be banging on the door?

 

“Duuuuude,” he hears a muffled groan from behind the door, accentuated by agrressive jerks on the doorknob, “my key isn’t working, let me iiiiin.”

 

Mark unlocks the door to find Jeno leaning drunkenly on the doorframe, just barely held up by his own two legs. “Thanks, Hyuck,” he mumbles. He smells like cheap beer and frat house sweat, which explains why he can barely keep his eyes open. Or it could just be his smile pushing his eyelids closed. Mark can’t tell. It’s evident now that Jeno probably miscounted how many flights of stairs he had to take and ended up in Mark’s room, right above his own, mistaking it for his own.

 

Jeno makes his way past Mark inside the room. “Uh, Jeno-” Mark holds up an arm in front of Jeno, both to stop him from going further and to steady his unstable gait. “Wrong floor, buddy, your room is downstairs.” “You can’t tell me what to do,” Jeno mumbles, although there is no menace in his voice. He simply pushes past mark and shuffles his feet towards the bed on the farthest end-Mark’s, in fact-before promptly collapsing face-first onto it.

 

Mark just gives an exasperated sigh. Jeno was going to be snoring in seconds. Even if Mark woke him up, he probably wouldn’t make it down another flight of stairs, so he decides to let him be. Mark props him up on his side (with great difficulty--Jeno’s no featherweight) and prays he won’t throw up in his sleep. Amazingly, Jaemin hasn’t moved an inch through the entire thing.

 

Now Mark, still heavy with drowsiness and tired from having to deal with Jeno, has an issue. He very much can’t share the bed with Jeno who, unlike Donghyuck, is taller, well-built, and sleeps like a starfish, limbs askew. Jaemin would be impossible to wake up in this state, and as touchy as he was while awake, his bed was off-limits while he was asleep (Roommate rule #23). He considers sleeping on the hardwood floor but immediately vetoes that idea when he remembers he hasn’t cleaned the floor in two months. So maybe, even though it’s almost 3 AM and most people are either out getting drunk or asleep, he goes for the other option.

 

He climbs down one floor, goes to the room below his, and knocks softly.

 

The sound of soft, padded steps approach the door.

 

“Jeno, I swear to god if you lost your key ag-- oh.” Donghyuck opens the door wide, his voice turning immediately soft when he sees Mark. “What’re you doing here?”

 

Mark looks at Donghyuck, wrapped in an oversized sweater that spills over his fingertips, basketball shorts falling mid-thigh, thick socks on his feet, and signs of exhaustion in his eyes. Not the kind of exhaustion of having just woken up, but the kind from never having slept at all. And Mark finds that he has a growing desire to take care of him.

 

“Sorry to bother, Jeno kind of took over my bed while he was drunk. Did I wake you?”

 

“Nah, I was awake. Come in.” Donghyuck motions to his room, and Mark sees that his desk lamp was on and his laptop lay open on his bed.

 

Donghyuck motions to Jeno’s bed on the farthest end and tells Mark to make himself at home. And as much as Mark wants to stay awake and talk to Donghyuck, he’s on the verge of falling over. So he lies down on Jeno’s pillow, head swimming with questions that threaten to spill out but never make it past the bottom of his throat, and drifts away from consciousness.

 

It’s only later that he wakes with a start, his eyes bolting open in the pitch black of the room, to what sounds like something in between a squawk and a cry. Under the light of the moon filtering through the windows, he can see the outline of Donghyuck sitting up in his bed, his back heaving in shallow breaths. But he’s not crying, just catching his breath.

 

Once Donghyuck’s breath calms down, he turns to see if Mark is awake, and finds the other boy watching him in the dark. Their eyes meet in the moonlight and they hold each other’s gaze, intense and unblinking, weighty yet fragile. Donghyuck seemed grounded in Mark’s eyes, feeling the world turn solid and real, the remaining wisps of his bad dream chased away. Yet the air between them seemed tenuous, as if one breath could ruin the moment.

 

“Are you okay?” Mark whispered finally, careful not to unravel the moment as his gaze went from intense to something softer.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” Donghyuck whispered back.

 

And Mark thought about offering to share the bed again, like that night many nights ago. But then he thought about how Donghyuck never brought it up ever again, and he decided that maybe Donghyuck didn’t really want that. Instead he says, “you want to talk about it?”

 

Donghyuck brings his eyes to his lap and shakes his head, his hair mussed up from the tossing and turning on the bed.

 

Mark doesn’t quite know what to say next, so for a while he just watches him. Once again he catches himself admiring the boy’s facial features in the dark, how he seems to glow in the moonlight, how his lashes frame his doe eyes, how the slope of his nose creates a soft incline. Looking at him feels like a dream, he thinks.

 

The last thing Mark remembers before falling asleep is a warm weight silently climbing under the covers with him and burying itself in Mark’s chest, Mark’s arms moving to encircle the small boy, trying to keep him as close as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! sorry for the slow updates, i don't have a regular writing schedule, but please comment and let me know what u think!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck's got a lot on his mind--a past that he hasn't even begun to tell his friends about, combined with an unexplainable growing attachment to Mark Lee. Still, he can't help but feel that maybe things are looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry omg it's been a month since i last updated this :( i got kinda busy and also went to korea for a week, and this chapter is short as well... but i plan on updating this again within the week! i hope you guys are still reading this! leave a comment and kudos if you like it and let me know what you think!!

Donghyuck is different from most kids. He knows it. He knows it from the way strangers stare at the red hair he dyed himself in the bathroom of an orphanage the day he turned eighteen. He knows it from the way the other kids in school never sat at his lunch table and picked him last for team sports. He knows it from the way his therapist looks at his records in curiosity and maybe pity each month as his nightmares refuse to go away.

It’s not like he’s ever been bullied or physically abused by the other kids in elementary or high school. He’s simply invisible, as if his presence is too insignificant to even be acknowledged by the people around him. So he’s used to keeping to himself, his only friends being his roommates from the orphanage, two underclassmen named Jisung and Chenle. The trio found themselves happy in their little bubble, without need for companionship from anyone else. And without parents, Donghyuck took it upon himself to always make sure the younger two were well and safe.

He hated that he couldn’t even do that.

,,,,,,,,,,

“Jisung, that’s _my_ hoodie!”

“It’s soft and smells nicer than mine. Besides, you let Donghyuck borrow your beanie!”

“That’s because he _asked._ ”

Donghyuck fondly ruffled their hair, earning a grunt from both of them. “Come on, kids, don’t fight. Let Jisung borrow your hoodie Chenle, he always returns it to you anyway. Jisung, just ask next time and please wash your clothes. Maybe then it would actually smell acceptable.”

“Okay, _dad_ ,” Jisung rolled his eyes, sarcastically emphasizing the last word.

It was 2am and the three boys were out on the city, in a random street in one of the low-lying neighborhoods. It was the third time in two months that they’d run away from the orphanage. It only ever lasted a day though; they’d eventually run out of money and have to go back in the morning, but sometimes they just felt the need to escape the dingy beds and moldy walls of the government-run brick house. Despite being orphans, they no longer felt like they belonged in the orphanage.

It’s because Donghyuck was now sixteen and Jisung and Chenle were fifteen and although they weren’t old enough to leave the orphanage on their own, they were too old to be adopted. To be wanted. Families want cute babies who have no memories of past fathers, toddlers who have to learn to walk and talk and be fed and cared for. They don’t want roughed up teens with scars on their knuckles and failing grades and already walk and talk too much.

That’s what frustrated Donghyuck the most; because even though they were all that, they were also still just _kids_. Kids who needed to be well fed and doted on and know a home full of love. Donghyuck tried to be that for Jisung and Chenle, giving up meals so they wouldn't have to starve until they grew tall enough to see well over his own head. He saved every cent of his measly allowance to buy them Christmas and birthday presents. He helped them with their homework and sneaked them out of the house, like normal kids. They just wanted to be normal.

Donghyuck led the two in a leisurely pace down a familiar street. At the next corner lay a convenience store run by a friendly old woman that always scolded the boys for being out so late at night, but would give them warm food and a place to stay for the night. She had a special fondness for Chenle, with his bright smile and eagerness to help her around the store. So it was no surprise that as soon as the bell of the automatic doors signalled their arrival, he was the first one she called over.

“Chenle, sweetie! Be a dear and lift this box for me, would you?”

“Coming, granny!” Chenle bounded over to grab the box from her hands and carried it to the store room in the back.

“Donghyuck, Jisung, would you like a sandwich? I’ll heat it up for you,” She smiled as she placed her hands on her hips and stretched her back. She didn’t bother to wait for a reply as she grabbed three sandwiches from the cold foods section and placed them in the microwave.

Chenle came back from the storage room just in time for the sandwiches to finish heating. The elderly woman handed out their sandwiches, which they gratefully accepted. “My, my, Jisung, you get taller every time I see you. You remind me of my own son,” she exclaimed with a warm smile. Jisung returned it with a slight chuckle before he quickly opened the sandwich and dug in.

It was when they were halfway through their sandwiches and through one of Chenle’s stories about his math class when Donghyuck noticed Jisung had been uncharacteristically quiet. He didn’t appear to be listening, instead staring blankly outside the convenience store’s glass windows, his half-eaten sandwich cold and forgotten in his hand.

“What are you thinking about, kiddo?” Donghyuck asked while nudging Jisung’s shoulder, attracting Chenle’s attention as well.

“Just… granny said I reminded her of her son. And that reminded me of my mom.”

Donghyuck softened. Out of the three of them, Donghyuck had been abandoned at the orphanage when he was one by his parents who allegedly couldn't afford a child, while Chenle had been left on the doorstep barely a newborn, still swathed in blankets by his unknown mother with nothing more than a name tag and a pacifier. Jisung, meanwhile, had been brought there when he was eight after the death of his parents. He had been old enough to remember having a family, the only one of them who could put a face to the names “mom and dad.” Donghyuck didn’t know what was worse: losing your parents, or never having them at all. It must be a different pain, he supposes, though not one that hurts any more or any less than his own.

“I’m sure she misses you too,” Donghyuck rubbed Jisung’s back in soothing motions, while Chenle on Jisung’s other side leaned his head on his shoulder. Other than a sniffle, Jisung made no sound, and instead chose to relish in the comforting, familiar presence of the two other boys, the only other people he could call his family, his home.

 

________________________________________

“Donghyuck, wake up, you’ve got class.”

The first thing that registers in Donghyuck’s head as he comes to wake is a voice. The second thing is his shoulder shaking--or rather, being shaken--back and forth as he’s lying down. The third is the distant ringing of his phone alarm that he had set to ring two hours before his first class of the day. But he supposes the owner of the voice doesn’t know that, because the shaking doesn’t stop.

Donghyuck reluctantly opens his eyes to see a figure beside the bed, kneeling so that he was eye level with Donghyuck.

“Mark,” Donghyuck groans groggily and tugs the covers closer around his shoulders, “what are you doing?”

“Your alarm was ringing so I thought you might need to wake up.”

“My alarm is two hours ahead. I’m in no rush,” Donghyuck says, although he’s already slowly begun to sit up and toss the sheets aside, eyes still heavy with the will to return to his happy dream. It had been a while since he had slept so well, and he wanted to savor it while he could.

“Well, if you have time, maybe we could go grab breakfast, then,” Mark suggested as he crosses his arms and lays them on the edge of the bed, cradling his chin so he looks almost puppy-like.

Donghyuck snaps his eyes open in surprise and turns to him, but Mark immediately breaks eye contact. He looks like he regrets asking, fiddling with his fingers and eyes flitting everywhere except Donghyuck. “It’s fine if you don’t want to,” he stutters, “I just thought that, maybe after last night… you wouldn’t want to be alone?” He says the last part like a question, not wanting to assume anything about Donghyuck’s feelings.

Donghyuck blushes (it briefly crosses his mind that it’s too early in the morning for this) and averts his gaze, but nods. “Sorry about that.”

Mark motions his hands as if to stop Donghyuck. “No, no, don’t apologize for anything! I’m the one intruding in your room, the least I could do was make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, but it’s not just this time, there was last time, too...” Donghyuck trails off, cheeks heating up in shame as he recalls the other night he had somehow ended up sleeping in Mark’s arms. “You must think I’m a weirdo.”

Mark chuckles playfully, “you _are_ a weirdo,” earning him a glare and a pillow to the face from Donghyuck. “But still, don’t think you did anything wrong okay? Everyone has their own demons they’re battling. If you need help battling yours, I’d gladly help.”

Donghyuck turns to look at Mark, and this time they don’t break eye contact. He tries to read the other boy’s face, searching for signs of sarcasm or insincerity and find none. Donghyuck doesn’t know whether to feel thankful or terrified.

After what feels like too long, Donghyuck is the first to move, throwing his legs off the side of the bed to stand up. “Fine, let’s get breakfast. I’ll get ready and meet you downstairs in twenty.” He goes to his closet and hears, but doesn’t see, Mark get off the floor and go to the door to get his stuff from his own room. He tries not to be obvious when he watches him leave.

He doesn’t see how wide Mark’s smile is as he leaves the room and goes up the stairs. The smile lasts long after they leave the building side by side, long after they have a quiet but comfortable breakfast in the cafe downstairs, and even manages to etch itself onto his face as he absentmindedly fiddles with his files in the music studio hours later. The sun was shining a little brighter today, Mark felt. There were still things left to be said and questions he hadn’t even begun to figure out how to ask, but for now, it was enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck decides to let someone in just a little bit, and it's more than Mark could ask for.

“Okay, so this studio has a Zoom R8 digital console--kinda basic, but it does the job. The mic is a really good BM-800, a really good condenser. The computer here is public so you gotta save your own files in a hard drive before turning it off, otherwise it’ll get deleted.”

Mark gestures around to the tiny studio he spends most of his free time in. The studio is only a bit larger than a supply closet, leaving room only for a desk with the PC, console, and microphone stand on it, a small MIDI keyboard on a stand, a desk chair and an old sofa in the back. The room smells musty but not unpleasant, and the windowless walls are dull and worn out, wallpaper peeling to reveal the soundproofing foam underneath. It’s not much, but it feels comfortable. Donghyuck is standing in the doorway, the light from the hallway seemingly unwelcome in the moody ambience of the dimly lit studio.

“You can feel free to use this room whenever you like. That’s what I do.” Mark plops down on the rolling desk chair unceremoniously, obviously accustomed to that seat. Donghyuck follows by closing the door behind him and taking a seat on the sofa across him.

“This all looks so complicated. I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve never used any of this stuff.” Donghyuck shrugs. 

“Have you ever written or composed a song?” Mark asks, leaning forward in interest with his elbows on his knees. Donghyuck tries not to look at Mark staring at him; he doesn’t like how focused Mark is on him and him alone right now, and he senses that the topic could delve into deeper, more personal levels. He’s not sure if he’s ready for that just yet. Although he supposes if it would have been anyone knowing anything overly personal about him, it would be Mark.

The thing is, Donghyuck never aimed to be a producer of any sort. He just liked music, loved to sing and dance and occasionally tried to compose the analog way--with a guitar or piano. “Technically, yes? But not with any equipment.”

“But you like writing songs, right? Isn’t that why you’re a music major?” Mark asks. When Donghyuck nods, Mark breaks into a blinding smile. Donghyuck doesn’t know why there’s a sudden heat in his cheeks, why he can’t seem to make eye contact for more than a second.

Mark goes on, “Me too. I’ve loved music all my life. it’s amazing sometimes, you know? Being able to put words into music. Sometimes when words aren’t enough, you add things like melody and instruments and it creates an experience, and it’s powerful enough to make others feel something so unique and special and particular to that song. That’s why I love music so much. It makes you  _ feel.  _ Love, pain, sadness, anger, hope...” Mark is almost in his own world now, staring into nothing with a fond look in his eyes. Donghyuck can tell that he’s sincere, that music is truly his passion.

Donghyuck doesn’t know why, but he says, “Music is the only thing that makes me happy.”

He suddenly freezes, wonders why he blurted that out without thinking, why he even thought of it in the first place. He gets flashbacks to playing the piano in the orphanage and singing along to it with Chenle, remembers him and Jisung in their room dancing to songs on the radio or on his phone. He replays what he said in his head and knows how pitiful he must have sounded to Mark. Mark, who knows nothing about his past, his passions, his heavy-ass fucking  _ problems _ that he tries so hard to keep to himself. 

He’s scared because he’s sure that if he looks up now, he’ll see Mark looking at him in pity, like he was a poor, dejected puppy in need of help. He hated that look. He’d gotten that look from people his whole life. From visitors to the orphanage, from his teachers, from his fucking therapist. He didn’t need that from Mark, the boy who everyone liked, who could do everything himself.

But Donghyuck looks up anyway, and finds that instead of pity, Mark simply looks… curious. Calm. Maybe not understanding-- he doesn’t know enough to understand it-- but there is patience in his eyes, showing that he’s waiting for Donghyuck to continue talking, if he so wishes. Donghyuck thinks, imagines, that maybe his look holds a certain warmness and affection, but he doesn’t know if it’s because he has craved affection his entire life. He never knows, with Mark. He continues to surprise him.

Then, Donghyuck remembers Mark’s words from before.  _ Everyone has their own demons they’re battling. If you need help battling yours, I’d gladly help.  _ And maybe, for once, Donghyuck considers, he’s willing to let Mark Lee do just that.

Donghyuck takes a deep breath. He recounts how he didn’t grow up with much, being an orphan and unable to afford toys. All he had was the organ from the orphanage with its off-tuned keys and rusty pedals, and a guitar from one of the older kids who had left once he turned 18. He would spend hours with his roommates just singing with only those instruments as accompaniment. Those were the best hours of each day, he recalls.

He doesn’t tell Mark everything about Jisung and Chenle. Not yet, he’s not ready for his whole life story, he’ll save it for another day. This was enough, a tiny crack in the door that Donghyuck had tried to keep locked away. He wonders if Mark Lee was the key he needed to unlocking it.

The older boy listens intently to Donghyuck’s story, watches as he unconsciously smiles as he mentions his roommates and regales how he learned to play the piano on his own, even with animated hand movements. Mark is enchanted with his story, and feels his curiosity and amazement deepen. There was so much he wanted to know about Donghyuck and now that he was beginning to see more of who he really was, he suddenly craved to know everything. He wanted to know his inspirations and his dreams and sufferings.

“Can I hear one of your songs, Hyuck?”

The smaller boy freezes, stutters. “I-what? My… songs?” He points to himself.

“I mean, only if you want to. I just… I wanna hear it. If it’s okay with you…” Mark curses himself for blurting out the question, he didn’t want to seem pushy, not when Donghyuck had just talked about something so personal.

But Donghyuck surprises him by standing up and walking warily over to the keyboard. He stands over it then glances over at the chair Mark is seated on. “May I?” he asks softly. Mark quickly gets up, muttering, “of course, of course,” and pushes the chair in front of the keyboard stand, holding the back of the chair so it doesn’t roll away when Donghyuck takes a seat. Donghyuck takes a seat gingerly, gaze running over the keys in hesitation before he lifts his hands up over the keys and positions them.

The both of them are distinctly aware of how close they are to each other. Mark makes no move to draw away from where he stands behind the chair, hands on the back near Donghyuck’s shoulders. He’s near enough that he can faintly smell shampoo from the other boy’s hair. But he’s hypnotized in anticipation, tension palpable as Donghyuck holds his breath, preparing to play.

Finally, he presses the keys. At first, a simple succession of chords--C#, Fm7, A#, F# --playing each chord once and sustaining them so they rang through the small studio, reverberating through Mark’s ears. And then, Donghyuck starts to sing.

It’s the most beautiful voice Mark has ever heard.

> _ I’m waking up from this dream-like reality, _
> 
> _ Swallowing up another day that’s like a nightmare. _
> 
> _ But which is real? In my world without you, _
> 
> _ The only thing I have is to dream of you. _
> 
> _ When I close my eyes, _
> 
> _ My memories take me to that place again _

Donghyuck forgets that he’s in a tiny recording studio in school; he shuts his eyes and he’s in the orphanage, playing the piano all alone. Everyone has left him.

> _ I should definitely stop today _
> 
> _ But I can’t avoid your eyes _
> 
> _ I try to turn around and run away but I can’t _
> 
> _ I endlessly told myself _
> 
> _ Let’s stop this now _
> 
> _ But in the end, I can’t stop, I shouldn’t let you go. _

Suddenly a hand is on his shoulder, and he opens his eyes to see a concerned Mark looming over him. “Donghyuck,” he takes the boy’s face in the palm of his hand and thumbs over his cheek, “you’re crying.”

He brings his fingers to his own face to find that it was, indeed, wet. He stares at his moist fingertips, as if bewildered by his own tears. He hadn’t meant to let his emotions come out, he hadn’t noticed how taken he had been by the song.

“I-I’m sorry,” Donghyuck starts, but before he can continue, Mark stops him. “Don’t apologize, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s okay, you’re okay. I got you.”

Donghyuck shakes his head. “I always cry in front of you, it must be so annoying. I’m such a burden.” He sniffles and Mark absolutely melts and resists the urge to coo.

“You’re not a burden, I promise. In fact, it makes me feel better if you talk to me about your problems instead of bottling them up. I’d hate it if you tried to keep it all in and try to handle it yourself because it you’re going to end up hurting yourself if you’re not careful. Please, if you want someone to talk to about anything at all, good or bad, I’m here for you. Okay, Hyuckie?”

Donghyuck almost starts tearing up again at the affectionate nickname and tries to choke it down. Unable to say anything, he just nods. ”I’ll try…”

Mark sighs and ruffles his hair. “I guess that’ll have to do for now. We can work on that.” Then he stands up straight and stretches his arms over his head. “Now, what say we get out of this dingy studio and get some fresh air?”

____________

  
  


_ “HELP!!!! SOMEONE PLEASE, HELP!!” _

_ Donghyuck runs and runs down the empty neighborhood, looking for any signs of life. He raises hell and heaven screaming at the top of his lungs, but no one comes out to help him. It’s 3:40 AM. He needs to find someone, anyone who can help. He doesn’t know where the nearest police station is, doesn’t know anyone in this neighborhood, and he’s crying but he doesn’t even have time to wipe his tears, not when the ones he loved need him.  _

_ “PLEASE, ANYONE, I’M BEGGING YOU!” _

_ But Donghyuck is just sixteen, and his legs can only go so far, so he collapses eventually. There’s blood on his jeans, on his jacket, on his cheek. He doesn’t know whose blood it is. Does he even know to whom his own blood belonged? He was an orphan, after all. No one ever comes for the orphans like him. _

_ It’s like he’s invisible. _

“HELP!” Donghyuck sits up, heart racing a mile a minute and head thrumming. It takes him a second before he’s back to his senses and realizes he’s in his own bed in his college dorm room. He glaces to his side when he hears a shuffling noise, finding Jeno moving around in his sleep, probably alerted when Donghyuck had inadvertently yelled as he woke up.

Once his breathing is normal, Donghyuck lies back down and tries to settle back to sleep. It’s fruitless, however, as his mind is rushing back to the memories of that day, the worst day of his life. The day everything in his life changed.

His eyes are hot and stinging and he feels the tears run down the side of his face, pooling in the cusps of his ears before soaking his pillow. His chest racks silently as he sobs without noise, trying not to alert Jeno to anything wrong. He needs a distraction before he spirals too far.

He reaches for his phone beside his pillow, unlocking the screen and wincing at the bright light against his unadjusted eyes. He pulls his comforter over his head before dialling up the number.

“Donghyuck?” a muffled voice rasps on the other end, evidently having just woken up and still half-asleep.

“Mark...” Donghyuck manages to croak out. He can hear sounds of sheets shuffling against the receiver, and Mark’s voice, suddenly more alert: “Hyuck? What’s wrong?”

“I… had another nightmare…” Even as Donghyuck is telling him this, he asks himself why he even called Mark in the first place, why he was telling him all this. How had he let himself be this vulnerable in front of someone? And yet… he couldn’t bear to stop, to be left alone again.

“Do you need me to come over?” the concern is evident in Mark’s voice.

“No, just… stay on the phone with me for a while.”

“Okay.”

The two of them remain like that for a while, unspeaking, listening to each other breathe. Donghyuck feels his eyelids grow heavy again, limbs relaxing. He lays on his side so he can balance his phone on top of his ear.

It’s only when Mark hears Donghyuck’s breathing grow shallow and more regular that he fully relaxes and allows his drowsiness to take over. Before he drifts off he whispers, “Night, Hyuck,” and ends the call. In the dark of the night, he wishes for the sun to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got the lyrics hyuck was singing from Timeless! i hope this chapter was long enough,, im still figuring out the flow of this fic hhhhh big thanks to everyone leaving kudos and comments! yell at me on twt @ssaemch


End file.
